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PROJECT | INFORMATION

The science goal

We aim to better understand how heat and salt is transported from the Arabian Sea, how this water mixes with the freshwater from the river input in the northern Bay of Bengal, and how these processes influence the monsoon.

Why study the monsoon?

Over a billion people depend on the Indian Monsoon for subsistence. Too much or too little can be disastrous, but better predictions mitigate these risks.

Why the Bay of Bengal?

Research strategy

We will use a combination of ship observations, robotic submarines and satellite data to observe ocean processes at higher resolution than has been achieved during the monsoon. Computer simulations will assess the impact of these processes on monsoon rainfall.

NEWS | UPDATES

Project news

It was a truly extraordinary rendezvous, combining a very ambitious flight and some great observations from the ship. A BAe 146-301 four-engine jet, the UK Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements (FAAM), flew past the ORV Sindhu Sadhana yesterday, just 100 ft … Continued

Research activities

The observational field campaign took place in June-July 2016, with the research cruise during the Indian Monsoon from five Seagliders, seven Argo floats and multiple drifters were deployed. Observations of ocean temperature, salinity, currents and small-scale mixing, as well as atmospheric conditions and air-sea fluxes were made from the RV Sindhu Sadhana. At the start of the cruise, the FAAM aircraft flew past the ship, taking vertical profiles of atmospheric conditions to investigate the role of ocean-atmosphere interactions in generating rainfall systems, funded by the INCOMPASS project.

A comprehensive modelling effort is investigating the impact of ocean variability on the monsoon. This will involve collaborations between scientists in the UK and India to translate the process understanding gained during fieldwork into improved forecasts of the Indian Monsoon.